Ethan woke and caught his breath. As he moved, he realised he would not be able to walk fast, handle any weapon, or carry the girls if the need arose. Wendy kissed him and got out of bed. With her hands on her hips, she inspected Ethan's wounds. Ethan did not say a word, the naked high elf intent on his wounds. He had played with them last night, not leaving for the mountain as usual. They had played with him. At the same time, as he lay on his back. The two eagerly did things to him as they kissed.
"Hail, we need to find the apothecary. Your wounds are not healing."
"Alas, we will ask Shaw if the village has an apothecary."
Wendy kissed Lucy on the lips, and she stirred. Wendy took her hand, pulling her up. Taking towels from the cupboard, they walked to the door, Wendy wrapping them around her. Lucy's ears perked up, and as drowsiness left her, she jumped on the bed, kissing Ethan with small pecs.
"Hail, Lucy, you can kiss him tonight. We have a challenge to attend."
Lucy jiggled her peaches for Ethan, folded the bath sheet around her, and disappeared. Getting out of bed was accompanied by grunts and heavy breathing. This was more debilitating than he had thought.
Ethan went into his mind and appeared on the mountain. The woman fussed over him, and Sophia pulled up his window. His resources were being depleted at an incredible pace. He would need to eat soon and find a cure for this curse. Sophia told him that the cultivator's blood contained an enzyme that caused the wound to worsen. He would be saved if the herbalist had a plant to counteract the enzyme.
"Alas, Sophia, why would a blood sect cultivator come to this realm."
Sophia explained that the blood sect was also culled when the cultivators culled his people. They supported his people but were deemed a threat to the new order—Skinwalkers were minions of the Blood sect.
Sophia had thought it a remnant that remained and had, perchance, been released. But with this new evidence, that was highly unlikely. Alaric's blade was forged by sorcery and sacrifice, which was clear. Ethan's ablutions and bath took longer than usual. Shaw gave Ethan a mug of coffee as he came down the stairs.
"There is an apothecary at the far end of the village. Her name is Maple. She will be able to help with cursed wounds and magic illnesses."
"May I have extra meat and spiced wine this morning, Shaw?"
Shaw patted his shoulder, disappearing into the kitchen. The big screen showed a big event: the council meeting with the king. Ludo, a tall and well-built man, walked with the king alongside a handsome man, the magistrate called Allister McClaren. The presenter painted these men of the council as heroes of justice. Wendy and Lucy ate hungrily. Their skills were at level two.
Ethan was surprised to see that his skills were at level one. Ethan thought it would be awkward between them, but their relationship looked healthier than ever. Ethan worried that the gold stains on the sheets would make Penny angry. Sophia had informed him that it was real gold and resources that he had wasted. The cores were part purified gold, a staple of his existence. She berated him and said he should have released it inside the girls.
"Alas, you wasted four generous loads of resources on the girls last night and not inside them. Do you want to die? Your resources are low as is."
Their discussion around breakfast centred on the challenge of what to expect, and the young nobles were an unknown factor.
"Squee, we need to be careful today. Ethan will not be able to fight at all with his wounds."
"Hail, Ethan, use us as your arms and legs. We need the experience."
"Alas, thank you. We will be careful. It would be best if you did not get injured today. We will have to work as a team."
"Hail, could Alaric be linked to the murders at the academy? They come from the same village."
"Alas, we must investigate as soon as we arrive at Dark Clover Village. I have had the same feeling that this is all connected."
The walk to the portal went a little slower than usual. Ethan had a limp and a small blood stain on his thigh. He could not fly at this stage as it used too many resources, and he had to preserve them as much as possible. They would have to find the Apothecary when they returned later today. The forest for the challenge was near the mountains to the west, and Ethan fainted as they took the train to the area.
The small village called Enchanted Vale came right out of a storybook. The houses were part of the trees, and from a distance, you would never say that there was a village. This was a demi-human village. The paths between the trees and the hedges blended into the surrounding area, camouflaging the town. This village had more people disappearing in a year than any village on this continent.
The forest was magical, and magical creatures called it their home. House gnomes sat on windowsills with long beards, and gnomes with big breasts waved at them. The men had on hosen and plain shirts. The women had dresses covered in flower patterns of all colours and wore wooden shoes. The village people and the gnomes looked like family. The gnomes lived in the house's walls. Professor Lara waited near a big tree. It was probably the village leader's house.
"Ethan, Wendy, and Lucy come over here. I have the clues for you. The Other students have gone into the forest already."
Lara grinned at them, her white teeth showing her eyes ablaze with fire.
"That fool had his students come here two hours ago and sent them into the forest where the council had hidden the artefacts yesterday. I sent my students on errands as they arrived in four groups."
"Squee, cheating from the start."
"Hail, they will ambush us in there."
Lara took a scroll from her bag and handed it to Ethan. She touched his hand, holding it, and then let go.
"Be careful in there. This is a dangerous forest. Come back alive, and please do not kill any students."
Lara climbs the stairs into the house.
"Hail, she has a nice ass."
Ethan had noticed that Wendy liked women and would see the same things he would. He did not know how to feel about that at this stage. They squatted and rolled out the scroll on the terrain. Wendy and Lucy read the scroll, and after a short think tank, they deciphered it. The clue was in the Enchanted Garden, twenty minutes from their position.